Nets' Ziaire Williams, Reece Beekman questionable Sunday vs. Knicks

USA Today

13-04-2025

Nets' Ziaire Williams, Reece Beekman questionable Sunday vs. Knicks
The Brooklyn Nets are almost done with the 2024-25 NBA season, but they have one less game to play on Sunday against their crosstown rival in the New York Knicks. Brooklyn has been beat up to finish the season and while that allows some of the lesser-used players to see more playing time, that also means that they will have to shoulder more of the burden to produce.
The Nets announced that forward Ziaire Williams and guard Reece Beekman are questionable for Sunday's game against the Knicks as they are dealing with their respective injuries. Williams is still dealing with right patella tendinopathy while Beekman is dealing with right calf soreness that he most likely picked up during Friday's 117-91 loss at the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Williams did not play on Friday as he was dealing with the patella issue and given that the organization has not pushed players to play with injuries, it's likely that he will be missing Sunday's game against New York. Williams, 23, played in 63 games this season and averaged 10.0 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 1.3 assists per game while shooting 41.2% from the field and 34.1% from three-point land.
Beekman, 23, has been seeing more playing time recently as the Nets have gone into full evaluation mode to end the season and he has had some encouraging performances as the starting point guard. Over his last five games, Beekman is averaging 5.4 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 4.8 assists per game while shooting 37.9% from the floor and just 12.5% from deep.
When it comes to the veteran trio of Cam Johnson, D'Angelo Russell, and Day'Ron Sharpe, they have been ruled out for Sunday's game against the Knicks with their injuries that caused them to miss the past few games. Johnson is working his way through a lower back contusion, Russell is nursing a right ankle sprain, and Sharpe is dealing with a troublesome right knee sprain.
With the Eastern Conference playoff seeding set outside of which teams will be the seventh and eighth seeds following the play-in tournament, New York will most likely rest all of their starters in anticipation of their playoff series against the Detroit Pistons. With that being said, Sunday could be a day for fans to see some of the younger players on both teams get as much playing time as possible in the regular-season finale.